EDITOR’s NOTE: This story is the second in a series showcasing Canada’s leadership on the world seed stage and its role in helping shape global policy in an effort to better feed the world. For the first entry in this series, see germination.ca/canadian-pbr-is-a-model-for-the-world/
Three major seed associations in the Americas now have Canadians at the helm of their boards.
Quebec’s Georges Chaussé, the new president of the Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA), is now joined by two other fellow Canadians holding important seed trade leadership positions: Wayne Gale of Ontario’s Stokes Seeds is the new president of the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) while Scott Horner of Alberta’s HyTech Production serves as president of the Seed Association of the Americas (SAA).
Chaussé took the reins of the CSTA board at the association’s annual meeting in Whistler, B.C., in June. He serves as seed service director for Sollio Agriculture, formerly known as the agriculture division of La Coop fédérée. He’s been involved with the CSTA for 20 years. He steps into the president’s role at a crucial time when the Seed Synergy Collaboration Project — of which the CSTA is one of five dedicated seed association members — is entering into a new phase and working to design a single national seed organization for the country.
“We all have one thing in common — building a prosperous industry. Realizing we’re all 95% alike, that’s a big win,” he says. “In the past we might have seen each other as having so many differences in mandates and customers and the like, but we are all part of the same value chain with the same goals at the end of the day.”
Gale serves as ASTA chair for the 2019-20 year after being passed the gavel at ASTA’s 2019 Policy and Leadership Development Conference held in Denver, Colorado.
In taking the gavel, Gale said: “Just as our industry always has, I am confident that we will continue to rise up and evolve to meet the challenges of today, and tomorrow, with new and innovative solutions for farmers and consumers. This will require us to think differently than in the past 50 years, and it will require us to embrace new ideas for the path forward.”
Horner, general manager of HyTech Production, has been president of the SAA since 2017. The main purposes of the SAA are to educate and support development, marketing and free movement of the seed within the continent and advocate for seed industry legislation and regulation issues as to ensure plant property rights.
—with files from Julie Deering
